THE LONG DRIVE HOME
by Ballyuk
Summary: AU take on 10x06 (Harvest) as Lois and Clark talk on the drive home from the cherry festival they covered, discussing all the strange happenings since the day they met.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I do not own the characters. This story omits the crazy villagers plot because the car never suffered flat tyres on the drive up.**

* * *

 **THE LONG DRIVE HOME.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1.**

The weather forecasts had predicted for the rain to hold off until much later that night but come mid-afternoon, the winds had picked up and moved the weather front along, so people were now scrambling for shelter as the downpour became torrential. Lush grassy fields were slowly turning into mud baths and the large tents and marquees were being pummelled by the driving wind and rain.

Clark and Lois had driven way out into the sticks on an assignment to cover a cherry festival which was being held at a farm a 4-hour drive north, having set off from the Talon at 6:00 in the morning. The previous day had been a momentous one for both of them because Clark had finally told Lois his secret. Lois had already had confirmation that he was indeed the Blur which made him an even bigger hero in her eyes, but learning that he was from another planet altogether was something that had left her speechless. For Clark, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He'd wanted Lois to know about him for so long but could never find the right time or the right words. Lois' reaction to his disclosure was one he hadn't expected because it was one of total delight. Just thinking of how her face lit up made his own face light up. Yesterday had left them both basking in the afterglow.

Amongst the many things they'd talked about on the drive up, one of the first was when each of them realised that the other was everything they'd been looking for. Clark repeated the words he'd used when saying goodbye to Lois in the loft prior to battling with Zod. He mentioned how he'd more or less severed his ties to humanity when Lois had gone missing for three weeks following Doomsday's attack. It wasn't until the possibility that Lois was dead reared its head that it dawned on him how much she meant to him. Saving the monorail from crashing into the street below and seeing her again was the moment he felt he might be able to reconnect with humanity after all. Lois' ecstatic reaction in the bullpen when he returned to work rammed home the message loud and clear - he was in love with Lois Lane.

For Lois, she brought up how scared she was for Clark when he was being tortured by the psychotic jeweller, and the thought that he might die brought on the realisation that she loved him. She'd feared for her own life when strapped to the chair and forced to answer the madman's questions but seeing Clark sat opposite her in so much pain cut her deeply. She categorically stated that she was not in love with him at that point. That moment had come just before Chloe's wedding but she'd silently been relying on him for weeks beforehand. He was her go-to guy when Sebastian Kane tried to kill her, and also in her weird dream where the two of them were trapped on some inhospitable alien planet with two suns. The moment when she truly realised how she felt was when Clark had handed Chloe her 'something borrowed' for her wedding day. It was such as amazing thoughtful gesture that it really opened Lois' eyes.

* * *

The farm had acres upon acres of cherry orchards and was owned by the state's largest fruit producer. Tess Mercer had offered Clark the chance to cover the festival for the Daily Planet and he'd roped Lois along. It hadn't taken much convincing since she wanted to spend more time in the company of her on-again boyfriend, though he did initially neglect to mention anything about the Vigilante Registration Act rally that was due to take place in Metropolis on the same weekend - the coverage of which had been reassigned to the very much pro-VRA Cat Grant. Talking about it on the drive up had resulted in Lois becoming a little bit peeved at what she deemed to be Clark's over-protectiveness.

During the day, they'd spent time walking around the orchards as part of a guided tour with the farm's owner, whom they'd interviewed for part of their article, learning among other things that the farm grew ten different varieties of cherry. They also noted the vast difference in quality between a freshly picked cherry and the ones that could be purchased as 'fresh' in stores. They were shown around the small factory next door which produced local cherry wine as well as cherry-flavoured beers. It provided a good income for the farm during the winter months as the alcohol was sold around the country and even exported. The article would never amount to anything more than filler but Clark had also wanted to spend time away from Metropolis with Lois.

There were the usual activities associated with country festivals so visitors could sample and buy cherry-based food and drink plus regular food like hot dogs, burgers, cotton candy and so on. They could also visit the small fairground where the usual attractions could be found. Clark and Lois had each tried some homemade cherry pie which they agreed was genuinely amazing, so they bought some to take back with them. It was an excellent alternative to the pumpkin pie usually served at Thanksgiving. At the fairground, Clark had a go at the strongman game at Lois' request, purposely not striking the hammer down hard enough to ring the bell at the top lest he break it. She had wanted him to go for the top prize which was a giant teddy bear dressed in military uniform, complete with a plastic machine gun and bandolier. He'd smirked at her before striking the hammer down only hard enough to win a bulldog soft toy little bigger than her hand. Lois had stood there mock pouting with her arms crossed as Clark attempted to hand over the prize. After that, Lois had had a go at the shooting gallery, winning a rubber duck for Clark. They were teasing each other and having fun - very much the young couple in love.

By the time the rain came, they'd more or less seen everything there was to see but they still had to sprint to their car. Clark had wanted to keep the roof up while it was locked but Lois had suggested they leave the roof down because it was a hot day and wasn't supposed to rain. Clark got to the car first, starting the engine and closing the electric roof. The interior of the car had gotten fairly wet, as did Lois and Clark. Her dark brown jacket hadn't offered much protection from the rain as she pulled it up over her head, and she'd also wanted to protect her toy bulldog because it didn't come in a plastic bag. Clark had foregone a jacket altogether so his shirt was soaked through as he carried the bags filled with food and their notes.

They sat in the car laughing about wet bottoms, and Lois looked at Clark with his wet hair and face, and then at the muscles showing through his blue shirt as it clung to him. He looked like a model from a cologne advert, not that this was a bad thing. Dress shirts worked so well on him, wet or dry, that she felt grateful that he'd given up the farm life for a job in the big city. She remembered his first day on the job when she'd transformed him from the farmboy in plaid into the smart young reporter.

"It's a good job we left the roof down given how dry it's been," said Clark sarcastically.

She gave him a sidelong glance to acknowledge him before teasing back, "Well, at least Clarkie stayed nice and dry. Didn't you boy?" She made the toy bulldog stare and nod at Clark before cuddling it against her cheek.

Clark shook his head and chuckled before looking Lois right in the eyes. Getting curious, she piped up, "What?"

"Admit it Lois, you had fun today," said Clark as he ran his hands through his wet hair and over his face. The rain was still pounding down outside and it had got very dark.

She sighed and smiled. "I'm still a bit annoyed that you thought keeping me away from the VRA rally was in my best interest." Looking at Clark frowning, she added, "But, all in all it _was_ a nice change of pace. We got the job done _and_ we got to have some fun and I don't know about you, but it feels like there hasn't been very much fun to be had lately."

Clark visibly relaxed. "All the VRA stuff has been getting me down, you're right. It's hard to have to remain in the shadows yet still be seen a something positive. While it means I can keep my secret intact, there are too many people pushing the idea of vigilantes as terrorists and claiming that I'm some sort of threat. I'm not."

"Clark, you have had to hide who you really are for a very good reason. I used to bust your chops because I thought you were brooding for no good reason and looking like you had the weight of the world on your shoulders, but now I know who you are and what you can do, I understand why you often felt that way." She put her hand over his, which was resting on the gearshift. "It must have been so hard knowing that you're the only one of your kind, and having to lie to people to protect something as huge as your secret."

Clark lifted his thumb over the top of her hand to stroke it gently. "I once told you that sometimes you didn't know me at all, yet at others you knew me better than anyone. Count this as one of those times." He leaned over and gave her a kiss.

"Yeah, and I said I was here for one save at a time. Count this as one of those times, Smallville!" She kissed him back.

The rain had eased off enough to make driving away from the festival safer, so Clark put on the lights and they slowly headed off to make their way back to Smallville. First stop, the Talon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

The open roads were almost deserted as the small red convertible made its way down the highway. It was moving at a leisurely pace and the occupants were similarly relaxed. It was a long drive back which gave them both a nice chance to really talk. Clark had already filled Lois in on the basics but as she kept going back to various incidents in the past, she had a lot of questions. For his part, Clark was just relieved that he could talk to Lois about anything and everything so freely because it allowed him to have the sort of open and honest relationship he'd never managed to have in the past.

"Clark, I want you to know it really means the world to me that you chose to tell me who you were. It can't have been easy to make that decision or to find the words," said Lois as Clark concentrated on the road ahead.

"Believe me when I say I've wanted to tell you for so long. I am talking at least a year, before we even got together, although I knew I could trust you well before that. It was never a question of trust but more about how knowing what you know would affect you. You knew Oliver was the Green Arrow and yet you continued to protect and support him, and you've always been loyal to those you care about."

"It's not for me to tell people your secret Clark. It's not my secret to keep. Well, um…I mean, I have to do that now too I guess, but still," Lois continued, unsure of how to finish. Fortunately, Clark was able to step in before she could start babbling.

"It's OK Lois. You don't know this, but I actually told you everything about me once before."

Upon Lois' curious glance, he continued.

"This is going to sound strange, but it was when you got back from Star City. I was supposed to pick you up from the airport but I got stuck in Metropolis helping people as the Blur, plus there were a whole load of new assignments dumped on my desk. It was raining like today and you'd been standing out in the rain at the airport before deciding to get a cab instead. I met you outside the Daily Planet and you were mad at me for leaving you stranded."

"That does sound like me," she laughed, recalling that she'd got a ride from Clark that morning instead of getting a cab, "but I think I'd have remembered you telling me something this huge. How did that end up with you telling me everything?"

"Like I said, it's a bit strange and I'll come to that point. Do you remember Linda Lake? She was the gossip columnist who supposedly had eyes and ears everywhere. Well, it turns out she was meteor infected and could turn herself into water." Lois went open-mouthed. "That meant she could hide out anywhere there was water and eavesdrop. The fountain downtown, the water cooler at work, the bathroom in your apartment." He said the last bit pointedly.

"What was she doing at the apartment?" asked Lois, taking the hint.

"I don't know, but she overheard something I said to Chloe there - that I was an 'intergalactic traveller from another planet'. I had never mentioned that outside of the apartment. She later suspected me of being the Blur after seeing me speed away from the apartment that time, and she threatened to expose me as an alien unless I gave her the inside scoop on the Blur's rescues."

"What a bitch!" Lois opined loudly. "Unbelievable!"

Clark carried on. "I decided the best thing to do was to beat her to the punch by having my story published on my terms. That's when I asked you to write my story. Well, that and I didn't want you to be mad at me any more." He looked at her with his puppy dog expression which she found adorable.

"Your reaction surprised me a lot. I told you I was the Red-Blue Blur and you just laughed in my face," said Clark. Lois laughed in his face again before going silent so he could carry on.

"I realised I'd have to demonstrate otherwise you'd never believe me. So I lifted up the desk in the storage room with you standing on it."

"Wow! How did I react to that?"

"You were amazed, happy, curious and who knows what else. You had a _lot_ of questions, put it that way," he smiled. "I told you about my super hearing and my super speed, and about my x-ray vision."

"X-ray vision? You mean you can see through stuff?" Lois subconsciously began pulling her jacket tighter in response.

Clark smiled and reassured her. "You did that then too. Lois, I have to concentrate to be able to see through things. I would never use it like that."

"But if you can really see through things, you can probably tell me what colour underwear I'm wearing, right?" She was still a touch unnerved.

"If I focussed enough, I probably could. But you _do_ tell me about your underwear quite a lot Lois, so I don't think I'd need to prove it!" Clark teased.

Lois was about to protest a denial when he continued on, getting back to his story.

"But you were absolutely in my corner come what may. The Planet put your interview on the front page and initially I got a very positive reaction. People on the street were happy to see me and it made me a minor celebrity. It didn't last long because Linda then published articles and went on TV to claim I was a threat to national security and the first wave of a hostile alien invasion. People took to believing that." Clark's face projected a look of dismay at the memory.

"This sounds really intense, but how come I don't remember any of it?"

"It's kinda hard to explain. I have a few journals and things back at the farm which I'd like you to see. They'll help answer a lot of your questions about my Kryptonian heritage and how all of that ties in but in this case, it was because of a ring. When we were searching for Chloe after the wedding, a group from the future known as The Legion gave me the ring and told me I could use it to time travel. I was planning to use the ring to go back in time to before Linda wrote her article and prevent her from ever making public what she knew."

"OK," said Lois inquisitively. The idea of time travel didn't surprise her in light of learning that her boyfriend was not human. Anything was possible.

"Yeah. Anyway, the government had put together a task force to bring me in for questioning over some of Linda's allegations, and they also wanted to bring in those closest to me to tell them everything they knew about me. Mom started getting stonewalled back in Washington and Chloe was being sought in Metropolis. They came after you at the Planet and I had to rush in and get you out of there."

Clark was thinking about how to tell Lois the next part of the story.

"We were in the barn and I told you about my plan to go back in time. That was when you said something that has stuck with me ever since, and afterwards I did some things I still regret even now after everything that has happened between us."

"Go on."

"You told me that I should fight for what I believe in despite the negative publicity surrounding me. You also opened up your feelings about me, and how even after learning about who I am and what I can do, it felt different to all those other times you knew guys with a hero complex. It didn't change the way you felt about me like it had when you learned about those other guys. Most of all, you understood my dilemma in a way even I hadn't understood it back then. I knew I could trust you completely."

Lois had sat there contemplating all of this. How she felt about Clark was indeed different to all those other times she knew guys who wanted to be something big in the world. Clark was a hero without necessarily wanting to be one. While it was clear he had a huge destiny to fulfil, he wanted Lois to feel inclusive instead of shutting her out. That much was clear when he told her he loved her. The significance of that moment was less to do with the words themselves, but more because Clark had made it about them rather than about his big secret. Lois looked up at Clark and asked him why he harboured regrets.

"Lois, when I told you about using the ring, I also told you I wouldn't tell you my secret again. I still remember how hurt you were by that. You felt you weren't special enough to deserve to know," Clark said, glancing down briefly.

"But as you said, opening up about your secret put those around you in danger. I _can_ understand your reluctance," Lois countered.

Clark cut in. "That's just it. I was desperate to go back in time to stop Linda from publishing her article. My regret is that I took away the wrong lesson from the experience. I could have told you my secret and _not_ shared it with the world - I didn't need to tell you just for a story. I know you would have protected it. I decided not to tell you at all because when people have learned my secret in the past, they've either tried to exploit me, or couldn't cope with the pressure of protecting it, or they died. Either way, knowing about me seemed to increase the risk of something bad happening. I was looking for the easy way out."

"I don't see it as something to regret given the circumstances Clark," said Lois, realising that Clark was dangerously close to brooding territory.

Clark sighed. This next part would either make Lois mad or sad. Or both.

"After using the ring and dealing with Linda, I managed to pick you up on time. You weren't mad at me and you were even prepared to talk about what almost happened at Chloe's wedding over a coffee. Lois, I know you were there at the café that night, because I was across the street watching you from a distance."

"Huh?"

He carried on. "I knew it would hurt you - that it _did_ hurt you - but I couldn't explain the reason why I was staying away without having to divulge at least part of my secret. And as I said before, I made the decision not to tell you so I could keep you safe. I cared about you too much to see you get hurt. It always comes back to me and my secret."

"You were there?"

He knew he had to mention a little bit about what happened while Lois was away in Star City, and felt that rather like ripping off a band aid, it would be less traumatic to get it out of the way quickly.

"I know you don't like to hear about me and Lana. The truth is, we did want to see if we still had a chance together but we were both different people, a lot of things had changed and it was never going to work. Of course I was hurting over it but as it turns out, it was the right thing to do. It had to end so that I could finally move on. That was all while you were away in Star City and it didn't seem fair to treat you as a rebound if we were ever going to start anything ourselves. Since the wedding, I kept thinking that you might be the right person but it just wasn't the right time. I had to lie to you about being too busy to meet up when really I was nearby the whole time."

Lois took a deep breath, recalling the moment she had sat outside that café broken-hearted. It was her turn to frown and she spoke quietly. "I remember telling you I was busy too."

"Lois, I love you so much. Believe me when I say you have no idea how sorry I am that I hurt you like that. At Chloe's wedding, I gave you every impression that I shared your feelings and then I hurt you. I still remember your face at the hospital before you left with Jimmy. I really am sorry Lois."

Lois looked at Clark and then leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. He turned towards her, surprised that she was taking it so well. Her mind went back to Oliver's words at Chloe's reception before all hell broke loose. Oliver knew that Clark needed Lois but that maybe Clark had yet to realise it for himself. It had allowed her to retain a measure of hope despite Clark demonstrating once again that his Lana blinkers were his big weakness.

"Maybe we had to go through all the heartache to get to where we are now. I'm happy about where we are now even if it took longer to get here than we both wanted. I love you too, Clark, and I'm more excited about what lies ahead of us than all the problems of the past."

Lois had known that their conversations would be insightful but might also be very deep and dark. She'd spotted a roadside diner in the distance. "What lies ahead of us is a diner and I'm hungry. _You're_ buying!"

Clark quietly sighed with relief.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

The roadside diner had a familiarity about it, looking exactly like the sort of place that could easily be used for a 1980s TV show or movie - right down to the dusty filling station next door, the truckers sitting at the counter chowing down on calorie-laden fare, and the country music playing on the jukebox in the corner. The buxom blonde waitress - who was probably pushing 40 judging by the lines on her overly made-up face - brought over their cheeseburgers, fries and coffee, winking at Clark before leaving. Lois smiled. She'd have to get used to him attracting a lot of female attention when they were together. He still got all shy and nervous over it and Lois found it very cute.

"I might leave her your number on a napkin," Lois grinned. Clark narrowed his eyes and smiled.

They ate in relative silence, preferring to continue their conversation in private back in the car. For the next half an hour, it was just small talk and discussing their upcoming article on the festival. It was never front-page material but the paper's weekend edition tended to include full-page spreads on stories like this, so that was something at least. Once they'd finished, they paid and headed back to the car. Lois decided to let Clark drive as she didn't want to swerve off the road should he reveal any nasty surprises.

The rain had long since cleared as they continued on, and Smallville was still at least 2 hours away.

"You know, now that I know you're a superhero and all, maybe you should get yourself an outfit." Lois was back in playful mood.

"You mean like the Green Arrow? I don't think so Lois," Clark replied.

"I know you want to stay in the shadows Clark, but you can change clothes faster than I can blink, so why not?"

"If I'm super-speeding everywhere to make saves, it doesn't matter what I'm wearing does it?" he argued.

Lois had the perfect counter, and one which Clark knew had to be considered sooner rather than later. Jimmy had once done some sleuthing and had positively identified Clark as the Red-Blue Blur, and it took an elaborate scheme to throw Jimmy off the scent. If more people started figuring it out like Jimmy had, there was no way Clark could concoct something to throw them off his trail.

"Maybe so, but you need to consider that moment where somebody does manage to see you and recognise you. How would you explain yourself Clark?"

"I just don't think I'd feel comfortable wearing some tight suit made of spandex or leather," Clark added defensively.

Lois was warming to her task. "I don't know. I bet you've never tried it before. Besides, I'd quite like to see your ass in leather Mister!"

Clark raised his eyebrows at her. "How do _you_ know I've never tried it?"

He immediately regretted blurting that out and looked away, pretending to concentrate on the minimal traffic ahead but virtually signposting that he'd inadvertently raised a topic he'd rather not have. Sensing blood, she went in for the kill.

"Oh my god Smallville, you _have_ , haven't you?"

Clark coughed. "Yes."

"Really? When?" she asked excitedly.

"I borrowed it from a friend as a favour to him. Things didn't turn out how I expected though."

"What, did you rip it? Was it too tight?" And then in the same sultry whisper as when she'd first raised the topic all those years ago, "Was Clark Jr. unhappy?"

"Lois!" he chided, gripping the wheel tighter to keep the car steady. Lois laughed.

"If you must know, you are part of the story Lois," Clark grumbled.

"Oh?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Who do you know of that has leather pants?"

Her eyes glimmered in recognition. "Ollie? You had to wear his pants as a favour? How did that happen?"

Clark wondered how many more questions she would fire at him. "Yes, Oliver. Do you remember the night you and Jimmy were attacked in the alley?"

She snapped her head to him quickly, immediately understanding where he was going with this. "The Green Arrow that night was _you_?" Clark nodded.

"But that would mean we-?" she blurted out.

"Yep."

"But you and me were supposed to-?"

"Uh huh."

"So that means you already knew Oliver's secret when I was trying to-?"

"Right."

"And he must have known about you then?" Lois continued her incredulous tone.

"He knew I had some abilities because we'd worked together before, but he didn't know about all the Kryptonian stuff. He learned about some of that much later. I _had_ to double-cross you Lois as Oliver had already protected my secret. It was only fair to help him protect his," Clark pointed out.

"So I kissed _you_ Clark. Why didn't you say anything?"

"If I had said anything, you'd have thought _I_ was the Green Arrow! I wasn't expecting you to kiss the Green Arrow after being saved that night. I was caught by surprise and didn't want to make a big deal of it. Besides, he was right there when it happened and he was your boyfriend at the time. Things got a little awkward between me and Oliver for a little while," said Clark.

Lois had been recalling the events of that night, and her thoughts went to what she and Chloe had discussed the following morning. She'd filled Chloe in on all the juicy details and Chloe was just eating it up. Clark was there too!

"Hold on. I might have kissed you but you kissed me back! And the next day, I was gushing to you about how much the Green Arrow was a better kisser than Oliver!" She slapped her forehead, feeling as though she'd been played for a mug that morning.

Clark couldn't hide the fact he was flattered. "It's true I did kiss you back, I couldn't help it. Jimmy had told Chloe the whole story - the version you knew at least - and showed her the photos he'd taken. Chloe figured out it was me because she knew that I knew about Oliver, and she knew about my super-speeding. In Jimmy's photos, I was there one minute and gone the next. He never got a shot of my face."

"I waxed lyrical about my mystery kisser and you knew the whole time!" Lois was on a mission.

"Lois, if you remember, it was Chloe who called me over that morning. I didn't know why. She wanted me to hear your version of events to make me squirm because she'd figured it all out," said Clark, still defensive. "She set the whole thing up that morning."

"Oh Chloe, when I get my hands on you…!" Lois mimicked strangling hands.

Clark smiled in relief. At least Lois wasn't too mad.

"So you see, it all goes back to my secret. And anyway, I also thought it was the best kiss I'd ever had. I just couldn't tell you for obvious reasons." He turned to look her in the eye and flashed the famous Kent smile.

Lois playfully punched him on the shoulder and smiled, a touch embarrassed.

"I'd still like to see your ass in leather though, Smallville!" she giggled.

"And I wouldn't mind seeing yours in leather again either. That Stiletto thing you had going on was quite something," he offered in response, looking back at the road and grinning. "Or maybe that French maid outfit I once found in your closet!"

"Clark!" She playfully punched him on the shoulder again and he laughed as the car continued along serenely. They were still at least 90 minutes away from Smallville.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.**

The rain had picked up again as the car continued heading south. The traffic had also steadily gotten heavier and it was still dark for the time of day. Even though they had been driving for some time now, Lois still felt a bit chilly after getting drenched so she switched on the heated seats for a while. Even though she liked to portray herself as no-nonsense and willing to rough it, she still liked the feeling of warmth and comfort. Hence her love of bunny slippers, comforters and heated car seats.

"Wait, so you're telling me you could actually read my mind?" she asked as Clark regaled her with the tale of when they were investigating the explosion at one of Queen Industries' smaller production facilities in Metropolis.

"It was just the one time Lois. We were investigating the factory explosion. I'd already been there earlier rescuing the hostages, and I only had time to contain the explosion. My hearing went out for a moment and when it came back, I started to hear more than before. When you showed up at the site, I heard you thinking something about me that you hadn't voiced out loud."

"Like what?"

"You slipped and fell and I caught you because I was right behind you. I can't remember what you said but I remember being surprised by it. Then when you walked off, you called me 'hot stuff'," he explained.

"H-hot st-?" Lois stammered. Now that they were very much in love, she shouldn't have been feeling nervous but in this moment, she went right back to how things were between them, before Clark had made the definitive move in the middle of the bullpen.

Clark continued. "I couldn't be sure that's what had happened until it happened again. Put it this way, I know you have an underwear code for days of the week and on that day you were wearing a thong." Clark looked away again, breaking out into a huge grin instead of stifling it like he had at the time in the elevator.

Lois sat open mouthed. "Oh god, I didn't think anything…you know…?" unable to finish her sentence without further embarrassment.

She'd had some _very_ impure thoughts about her and Clark over the past year or so. It was always hot and heavy and happened in a lot of different places. There was her desk in the bullpen when they were pulling an all-nighter, the elevator at the Planet, the couch in the barn loft, being surprised in the shower back at the Talon, the kitchen counter at the Kent farmhouse. She'd often had to fan herself after these dreams because they sometimes happened during the day. They all started with the way he'd caress her cheek as he looked into her eyes with his baby blues. It always made her melt when he did that, and in a curious way she could see both his innocence as well as the lustful intentions behind such a simple gesture. In the right setting and if they had enough time with no interruptions, she was pretty certain things would develop into something resembling her dirty dreams. Realising she'd been caught daydreaming a little, she cleared her throat.

Clark reassured her but took note of how her face had flushed. He loved that he could get her to do that as she became even more irresistible. "No Lois, but when we'd finished talking to the hostages, you seemed up for the idea of going on a date. I was a bit nervous but when I heard you thinking about the monster truck rally, I jumped at the chance."

"Clark, I went to that rally and you never showed up!"

"I was going to. I _wanted_ to. I was still at the hospital when I started hearing the hostages' thoughts too. I'd made a big mistake during the rescue and left an innocent victim lying in the hospital. He's the one who knew Winslow Schott was behind this and it transpired that he was plotting revenge on Oliver. I had to stand you up to deal with that. Then when you showed up at the Ace of Clubs, I had to make sure to get you and everybody else out of there safely. In your case, that meant blowing you off." Clark sounded remorseful yet vehement that he'd done the right thing.

Lois had seen the security footage from that night and it was clear that everyone bar Oliver had been evacuated. It stirred up painful memories of how far Oliver had fallen that he'd chosen in that moment to end his own life. Thankfully the bomb had failed to detonate but the scars were still there, for her too. She'd managed to have a heart-to-heart with him as well as their customary birthday game of beer pong, but Oliver had never told her why the dark thoughts were there and she never asked why. She simply told him that he could confide in her with no judgement given and that for all the good he had done for the city with his secret identity, he still needed to take care of himself. He had provided a friendly ear when she needed to get her woes off her chest so it was the least she could do to reciprocate. A world without Oliver Queen didn't bear thinking about.

"I was disappointed that you'd stood me up. But putting all the pieces together, you really didn't have a choice did you?" she stated carefully. That Clark had been involved had initially angered and saddened her but she knew Clark getting involved was only ever so he could do some good.

Clark looked at the road ahead in wonderment. How was it that the woman beside him had gone from once being the bane of his existence to becoming so loving and understanding? Things that once annoyed him about her were now things he'd grown to love, and he missed them when she wasn't around. She was everything he'd always needed but he hadn't realised it sooner. Lois was able to take what should be a startling revelation in her stride, and offer the right words of encouragement at just the right time. It was so often the case that something she said brought a moment of clarity, even when she had no idea he was keeping a secret. He let out a deep breath.

"A wise woman once told me that I'd recognise my soulmate when she came along. It took me a long time to realise that she was right, and that she'd been there all along. I just needed time to see it."

Clark carried on looking ahead as Lois this time turned away smiling. She knew what he was referring to.

"Yeah, that," she whispered. "That crazy bimbo wanted to kill me after I interrupted your face-sucking marathon in the elevator. She said that the two of us had a bond and I thought she was talking out of her ass. The truth is it scared me how right she was because the more time we spent together, the closer I felt to you. Who was she anyway?"

Clark explained the story of Maxima as he knew it.

"Her name was Maxima and she was from another planet. I'm not exactly sure how but she came to Earth to find her soulmate after being summoned by a beacon of some sort. She didn't know who this soulmate was but she went around hitting on any guy she thought might be the one. Unfortunately, her kiss was too intoxicating for humans and that's what caused them to have a heart attack. Jimmy was lucky I found him in time."

"Is that why you weren't affected Clark, because you're not human?" she asked.

"Lois, I don't really know what might have happened. At that moment, all I wanted was her and then you came by and stopped it. You were so mad it was almost like you were jealous," said Clark.

Lois pondered that. "I'm not sure it was jealousy. I told you how you needed to get out there and find someone else to help you get over your Lana lovesickness. I didn't expect to see you getting hot and heavy with a nympho so soon! It threw me a little bit."

"She would have killed you if I hadn't swooped in. I sent her back to her planet and that's why that story hit a dead end."

"I have to pinch myself that this is all true because if I was told all this without knowing what I know, I would think it was right out of a sci-fi show or a comic book."

Clark had to concede that she had a point. Superheroes, aliens, special powers. It all took a really open mind to believe that science fiction was actually reality.

* * *

The car had been stuck in traffic north of Metropolis for the past twenty minutes. The weather had calmed down again and the windows were starting to steam up. Clark and Lois both lowered their windows. The cause of the delay was an accident a few miles further up the road. The damage to both cars had been relatively minor but had left the occupants shaken up, with debris and one of the cars strewn across the road. Moving it over and then taking it away is what had taken so much time and like with any car crash, people slowed down to get a closer look. The human capacity for morbid curiosity was always fascinating to Clark but fortunately, this particular accident was no more than a fender bender.

"Clark, you told me a bit yesterday about the meteor rock and how it can hurt you. Are you really that vulnerable to it?" asked Lois.

Clark knew that this was one of those questions where there was a lot of detail to be found in the answer but he felt he needed to keep it brief and on point.

"It's the green Kryptonite I have to worry about the most, although the others have different effects on me. Green is the worst because if I'm exposed to it for long enough, it can kill me. It weakens me so much I can't use my powers to get away."

Lois had a worried expression on her face as she looked over at him again. All those times she'd seen him look so stricken. Were they all down to the effects of green meteor rock?

"The time I was shot by Bruno Mannheim? Intergang were producing counterfeit money in that back office using liquid green Kryptonite. The moment I was in that room, I was rendered helpless. I needed to get out of there but I couldn't."

Lois had visions of that night and she blanched at the memory of seeing Clark as vulnerable as she'd ever seen him. He'd been shot and lay there bleeding. Lois had feared the worst and was very upset at the time despite Clark insisting she and Jimmy help him get out of there. She'd agreed without hesitation because she couldn't think straight. It had taken her a few days and a couple of sleepless nights to get over the trauma of seeing him in that state, knowing it was her fault he and Jimmy had ended up in that predicament. If he'd died, she didn't know what she would do with herself and the potential sense of loss and the ache it brought on her heart was something she hoped she would never have to experience again.

She chose to speak softly to emphasise the gravity of the situation at the time. "Clark, you took a bullet for me. That's was the bravest and most amazing thing anyone had ever done for me. You could have died!"

"I know Lois. You and Jimmy got me out of there and once I was far enough away from the club, my body began to heal. I didn't need to go to the hospital really, that was all just a cover," Clark explained. Trying to bring a moment of levity back to proceedings, he looked at Lois and said, "I had to milk my injury when I returned to work and you felt so guilty and apologetic. I had to keep up the pretence, but I got to see a side of you that you don't often show."

A few years ago, Lois would have baulked at anybody claiming she had a softer side. She's been brought up to think that this made you weak, and she hated being made to look weak. Her way of thinking had mellowed over the years and was even more evident in her interactions with Clark now. She didn't mind that he got to see a softer side of her, so comfortable was she around him now. She considered it to be similar to Clark in that she also had two identities - the tough-cookie in public but gentle and tender in private.

"That night, I left you a message to go to the phone booth so we could talk. You didn't know it was me but I wanted to thank you by giving you the exclusive interview with the Blur you'd been so keen on. You opened up about yourself and it was amazing to see this whole other side of you because you usually go out of your way to hide it. You asked me what _I_ needed rather than how you could benefit from having spoken to me, and frankly I was blown away by that. I was blown away by you," said Clark as he talked about how he set up her first direct contact with the Red-Blue Blur.

Lois contemplated that for a moment. "Clark, I didn't know I was talking to you. As far as I knew, I was talking to a complete stranger. I could tell the Blur was using something to disguise his voice because no-one sounds like that, except maybe the Green Arrow. How did you know everything I was telling you was the truth?"

"Lois, I could hear it in your voice. It was different to how you normally came across, especially with me. I would never have got to hear any of that by talking to you face-to-face. And I'm sure I must have said something that I might not have told you face-to-face."

Lois sighed. "I suppose that's true. I do remember you saying I was a great reporter and didn't need to make up a superhero to be relevant. That meant a lot to me. It means even more now I know it was you who told me that," she said.

"I meant it then and I still mean it now. You have a habit of getting into trouble all the time but you still manage to get the story. Of course, I've had to save you on many _many_ occasions to make sure of that, but you've proven yourself to be a great reporter."

Lois protested. "Hey, I do _not_ have a habit of getting into trouble! Sure I've had some close shaves but I always find a way to get out."

Clark looked at the road ahead. They could be back in Smallville in less than an hour if the traffic cleared soon. He really wanted to super-speed back but the car was a rental that needed to be returned in the morning, plus the long drive had given them both a chance to talk openly and free from any of the things that usually got in the way. Even Lois wasn't complaining about missing out on the VRA rally.

Lois had another thought. "Clark, you mentioned how green meteor rock can kill you with prolonged exposure, but are there any other coloured meteor rocks I should be aware of? You aren't going to turn into a homicidal psycho at some point are you?"

Clark turned to Lois and nodded slowly. "Wow, where to start!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5.**

"Boy, I gotta tell ya I'm a little relieved there's no meteor rock that turns you into a cross-dressing drag queen. I don't know what I would do with that!" Lois uttered, a little dumbfounded, as Clark gave her a brief run down of the effects of different coloured Kryptonite.

Clark flinched. Of all the things she could be thinking, how did she get that idea into her head? He looked at her as if ignoring her comment, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Apart from green…it's the red and blue ones we mainly need to worry about. Red not only lowers my inhibitions but it also causes me to act on my deepest desires. I don't really have control over my actions."

"OK, so tell me where I come into it," Lois pressed. She'd noted his use of the word 'we' instead of 'I' and it gave her a warm fuzzy feeling inside to know that Clark was already thinking about how they'd deal with any issues together. She'd been scared of considering the possibility of the two of them being together for a long time to come but the way Clark spoke about the two of them being together, she would accept any proposal of marriage in a heartbeat. _Lois Lane thinking about marriage? To Smallville! Who knew!_

"Valentine's Day."

Lois looked at him quizzically before blurting out, "What, the last one with the funny chocolates and the fairy dust? I thought _I_ was the whacked out one. I was making wedding plans and everything!"

Clark grinned wide at the memory. He knew she must have made wedding arrangements despite her flustered attempts at denial because he'd fielded calls from his mom, her dad and a number of well-wishers from the Smallville Gazette. The guilty look on her face had only confirmed his suspicions. He corrected her. "No Lois, the other Valentine's Day. The one with the lipstick."

Lois looked even more puzzled. "Wait, Chloe told me the lipstick was spiked with a love potion. That's what made me go a bit love slave. Are you saying it had red meteor rock in it?" she asked, genuinely surprised. She hadn't recalled that the woman who sold the lipstick had mentioned that fact.

"Actually, it was both and that's why it worked on you _and_ me. When you kissed me, the red-k from your lipstick infected me. I told you I didn't remember what happened at the time but that's not exactly true. I remember it all, I just couldn't tell you that. For the record, we never went past first base. Although we did fly," Clark explained cautiously.

Lois' mind was again trying to recall the memories from that night. "From the Planet to Ollie's place? That was real? I thought I'd imagined that. So does this mean you can fly Clark?"

"Um, no. I mean I can fly and I _have_ flown, but I've always been under the influence of something or other instead of just being myself. The ability is within me but I'm still figuring out how to do it."

Lois gave him a look of encouragement and said, "I bet it's like riding a bike. Once you learn it, you never forget, right?"

"I wish it were that simple Lois."

"Maybe we need to keep some 'red-k' lying around then," Lois teased.

"Not a good idea. I tend to say whatever's on my mind when affected by it with no regard for other people," added Clark.

"OK, so no to red then." Lois then thought about what Clark had first said about the effects of red Kryptonite. "So, you act on your deepest desires huh? Does that mean I was one of your deepest desires Smallville?"

Clark had to think about this one as it appeared as though Lois was winding up for another tease.

"Maybe on a subconscious level, because the things I've done on red-k aren't things I would normally think about doing."

"Whatever! The way you used to check me out, I wouldn't be too sure about that," she replied. Seeing Clark turn disapprovingly, she backtracked, laughing. "OK OK, I'll drop it. What about blue then? It takes your powers away?"

"Yes. Although I get my powers from the yellow sun, it has no effect on me if I'm infected with blue-k. I can't heal like I normally would if I get hurt."

Lois' mind was working overtime to process all this information. She was trying to recall where she might have come across blue meteor rock. She remembered seeing the green stuff on numerous occasions but all the others Clark described were unfamiliar to her. Yet in the back of her mind, there was an image of blue buried there. She went over and over in her head everything Clark had said over the past 10 or 15 minutes, and then she had her 'Eureka!' moment. She jumped in her seat so suddenly that it startled Clark.

"The knife! You were lying there, dead or dying I didn't know. There was blood everywhere and you weren't breathing. I'd seen something falling from the sky and didn't know what it was. When I ran towards it, I saw you lying there with a knife sticking out of you. I pulled the knife out and it was glowing blue." Lois was staring at him as she came to the revelation.

Clark turned his head sharply. " _You_ did that?"

"Yeah! You started to wake up so I went and hid so you didn't see me. You got up, the sun came out, the rain stopped and it was like you'd never been hurt. Then I watched you speed away Clark. I saw you as the Blur. I don't think I'd ever felt as happy as I did in that moment. I figured out you were the Blur when you kissed me that night, but seeing you get back up after thinking you were dead basically confirmed it. It was the most amazing feeling." Lois sighed, swooning in her seat and almost beginning to well up. If only she could bottle the feeling she'd had when she saw Clark rise like Lazarus.

"Lois, you didn't just bring me back, you saved my life! I would be dead if you hadn't pulled out that knife." Clark was stunned to learn about what had happened after he'd defeated Zod. He had already said his goodbyes to Lois and encouraged her to take the posting in Africa after considering the likelihood that activating the Book of Rao would remove all Kryptonians and Kandorians from Earth, including himself. While battling Zod on that tower, Clark had realised that by allowing Zod to stab him with the blue Kryptonite dagger, he would remain on Earth but Zod would be taken away. While he himself would probably die having lost all his powers, it was for the greater good because it would mean the end of Zod's attempts to destroy mankind. Clark would be a martyr. If that was his destiny, so be it.

"I guess we're in the habit of saving each other then, huh?" said Lois as she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. He leaned in to put his arm around her. It was a revelatory moment for both of them. He had saved mankind from the threat of a hostile alien takeover, but Lois had saved his life. No matter what, they were always there for each other. Always.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6.**

The closer they got to Smallville, the more they were surrounded by vast fields of corn. One could look in any direction and corn was just about all the eye could see as rolling hills gave way to flat acres of farm land. The scent of corn hung in the air and it made sense that the town should celebrate the harvest with a festival, such was the importance of the crop to the local economy. For Lois, driving past the cornfields always triggered memories about the time she came to Smallville.

"Clark, what really happened to you that night I found you in the field?"

Clark was blindsided by this question and took a bit of time to decide how he would respond. Lois was taking him back to the very start of it all for her.

"Uh, you mean when I had amnesia?" Seeing Lois nod, he carried on. "It's hard to explain without showing you my journals, but it involves my birth father."

"Your birth father? He was here too? How come I never met him?"

"No Lois, he actually died on Krypton just after they sent me to Earth. The ship I arrived in also contained a device that got broken up and scattered during the first meteor shower. When you arrived in Smallville, I had to spend time looking for these pieces and I managed to get them all just as the second meteor shower hit. That's why I wasn't around. The Kawatche caves hide a chamber where these pieces - stones - could be placed. Putting the stones together opened a portal to a place in the Arctic that my father's technology created. I call it the Fortress of Solitude. You've been there too. You thought you'd died and gone to heaven after you and my mom were involved in that plane crash but what had happened was that you'd crashed close to the Fortress, so mom was able to take you there. Mom spoke to my father and he was able to send you both back to Smallville."

Lois was confused. The caves were a link to some secret ice palace in the Arctic? Was that why Lex had spent time looking for something in the Arctic? He obviously had previous with Clark and the two once-good friends had become sworn enemies. Clark himself had warned Lois to be careful while working for Lex at the Daily Planet. Then Lex had suddenly gone missing after a recon mission near the North Pole and was presumed dead, with all of LuthorCorp's holdings being transferred to Tess Mercer. Did Clark know anything about all this? Lois understood that now was not the time to raise the matter but her confusion about Clark's real father's continued involvement in his life needed explanation.

"I don't understand. How did your father do all this if he died back on your home planet?"

"The technology included a program where he could communicate and provide guidance to help me when I needed it. I was talking to a program but it was like I could talk to him. It could respond to my questions and answers the way he might. Not in the way I'd have liked because he was so cryptic compared to dad but still, it was a piece of my Kryptonian heritage and it took some of the pressure to raise me away from my parents here on Earth. My father had sent me to Earth to protect mankind and this was his way of making sure I had access to the Kryptonian knowledge that would help me understand more about myself and how I might go about doing things. Up until then, my parents and I were learning as we went along. Whenever I gained a new power or had a problem, we had to figure out what to do."

"Wow! This is…beyond deep. I just have to get my head around the fact that it's all real," offered Lois finally. "It doesn't really explain why you were naked though."

"I arrived back on Earth the way I had during the first meteor shower, only I was a teenager and not a little kid. It was like a rebirth. I'm still kinda embarrassed about being naked that night - that's not how I would have planned my return."

"That was an eye opener, let me tell you," smirked Lois. Clark was the first person she'd met in Smallville, and what a way to meet somebody for the first time!

"Do you have to?" Clark sighed.

"Hey, it's not every day a girl's car is hit by lightning and forced off the road only to come face-to-face with a naked guy with no memory!" Then making her voice sound robotic and adding robotic arm movements for effect, she did her impression of how she thought he came across. "No. I. Am. Fine."

"Face-to-face huh? If I recall, you had a little difficulty maintaining eye contact Lois," Clark teased. It felt like an awfully long time since he'd managed to get any jabs in. _Was I really that robotic back then?_

"I did not!" insisted Lois. Her protest was vehement but deep down she knew he was right. She had definitely inspected the goods and to her horror, had even come up with a name for it.

"Super hearing, remember. Your exact words were 'look at his face!' I was watching you Lois, and I _know_ you looked down."

She had to take back some initiative here to cover her own embarrassment. "So, you looked down too!"

It was Clark's turn to be confused. "Huh?"

"Oh don't pretend like you don't remember! I came out of the shower thinking there was an intruder?"

He couldn't help it. The car slowly veered right as his concentration went from the road and all the way back to the image of Lois standing there naked as the day she was born, still dripping from the shower. He could recall every curve, every contour, every intimate area, and how the droplets of water slowly inched their way down those curves and contours and intimate areas. She might have annoyed the hell out of him but he'd had to admit that in that moment, she was also absolutely gorgeous, while at the same time being grateful that he'd gained control over his heat vision long before getting that eyeful. Burning down the apartment would have taken more than a bit of explaining.

He thought about when she'd pretended to be a stripper at the Windgate to investigate the same murder he was investigating - a routine that went from awkward and nervy to just plain sexy at the flick of a switch as it again highlighted her figure. He'd been mortified when she spotted him in the audience and his discomfort was amplified when she went and sat in his lap. He was inches away from the promised land yet all he could do was wish he was somewhere else - _anywhere_ else. No matter where he looked, there was tantalisingly tanned flesh barely contained within a glittery and skimpy Stars 'N' Stripes number, teasing and tormenting him. He'd hoped she hadn't noticed how obvious his arousal was.

His thoughts meandered to their weekend away at the McDougal Inn. As grim as much of that little break had turned out, there was still the memory of Lois nervously stepping out from behind the privacy screen wearing nothing but a blue teddy. He'd barely registered his own actions as his heart was beating at a mile a minute, partly because he was also very nervous about their relationship taking the next step, and partly because she'd left him stunned speechless. The lingerie was no doubt expensive but Lois had got full value from it as it showed off her body at its breathtaking best. He'd shyly described her as perfect at the time but it was no less true now than it had been back then. Lois Lane might be loud, brash and reckless at times, but if he had to sum her up in one word now, that word would be 'perfect'.

Snapping back to the present, he brought the car back under control stealthily and returned the discussion back to that night in the cornfield. No matter what, he had Lois there.

"Alright, yes I looked down. Anyone would have. Out of interest, why did you step out of the bathroom naked to attack an intruder?" he asked her.

She now had to admit he had her there but her fighting instincts demanded she give a typically bullish response.

"Uh…element of surprise. When defending yourself against the enemy, it pays to be at least one step ahead. An intruder wouldn't have been expecting that," she babbled away, blatantly lying.

"If you say so," Clark snarked. "But admit you did look down."

Lois cleared her throat loudly and looked out of the window at the rolling fields, hoping to change the subject. "So, Kal-el. _Kal-el_. That name rings a bell. Where have I heard that name before?"

"At the hospital after the meteor shower, when you were there with mom and dad, those two Kryptonians came over looking for Kal-el," offered Clark. Lois had admitted to looking down without verbally admitting to it.

"So they were looking for you? And they were Kryptonian just like you, although that's kinda hard to believe given how they went on the rampage at the hospital. You might be many things, _Kal-el_ , but hostile is not one of them."

"I actually prefer the name Clark. I might be Kal-el of Krypton but I've been brought up to live among humans, and it's my human side that makes me who I am, not the Kryptonian side," said Clark.

Lois laughed. "It's funny. Your real name is Kal-el, yet you prefer to go by Clark, and I call you Smallville because of how I always thought you were the definition of the small-town farmboy. Little did I know huh?"

"I guess I must have done a pretty good job of fooling you if you believed that for so long. Just like you didn't know how many times I had to step in and save you."

"Clark, I know you've blurred your way in a few times when I've been in trouble, but there can't have been _that_ many times, can there?" asked Lois. It bothered her that she really did find trouble so easily.

Clark thought on her words and was aware that his ability to recall moments from the past had become advanced over the past year or so. He also realised that whenever Lois had been in any danger, he'd become more intense and determined to find her and save her. Evidently that had been the case long before they accepted they had mutual feelings for one other. He'd had that intensity even when they were living under the same roof and bickering constantly.

"Lois, there are probably dozens of occasions where I've had to step in. When Geoff Johns paralysed you and left you to drown, Chloe and I realised you were in danger after Chloe couldn't find you. When we figured out that it was Geoff, I managed to track him down. I made him tell me where I could find you and I got you out of there just in time."

Lois knew Clark had been involved in finding her back then but she never knew to what extent. Her memories of that time were sketchy because she'd drifted in and out of consciousness during and following the near-drowning. It chilled her to think that if it had been anyone but Clark looking for her, she might never have been found and would not be here today. It was a sobering thought. Reading that Geoff was behind his roommate Coop's death (which exonerated her of any liability after initially being charged with paralysing Coop) had left her shaken for several days. She'd put a brave face on it when moving back into the Kent house but she'd suffered a few nightmares and sleepless nights. Just the idea of being submerged in water and unable to get away terrified her. If she'd been more open about her worries, she now knew that Clark's parents as well as Clark would have been hugely supportive and selfless in their attempts to help her. It was that old chestnut about not wanting to be seen as weak.

Lois realised Clark was now discussing another incident and quickly brought her attention back to the here and now.

"When you and Lucy were kidnapped, I was the one who stopped the truck. I left before Lex showed up because I'd been in his study listening in when he was talking on the phone. His people had found out that his car and the money were in the truck and I got there first to stop that loan shark."

As Clark reeled off a list of examples, Lois cast her mind back to all those times she never knew he'd stepped in to help. It was astonishing just how far back it all went. All this time, he had been the most incredible friend yet had never sought any credit or even a simple 'thank you'. It touched her that he had chosen to keep up the bickering to cover the fact. That must have made him feel like a normal teenager even though he was anything but. She listened on as Clark continued.

"Remember the kid who built a full-sized replica of high school in an old warehouse? He'd turned you guys into waxworks and he was about to smash you into pieces with a baseball bat. I stopped him before he killed you, Lana and Chloe."

There was more.

"On election night, you'd fallen and hit your head. You were lying unconscious in your apartment and would have been electrocuted if I hadn't realised you were missing when the results were announced. You were dad's campaign manager and yet I knew something was up when you weren't at the party."

Lois had gone to hospital that night to get her head checked out so didn't learn until much later that Mr Kent had died of a heart attack. Her first inkling had been when the attending nurse had mentioned something. Lois had feared the worst but refused to believe it was true until they wheeled a television into her room, and it was the lead story on all the news channels. Lois had maintained an exterior air of calm but was churning in despair inside. How could something like that have happened? Had the stress of campaigning taken its toll? He'd had heart problems before. Was running for office a step too far? It had been difficult to maintain her outwardly resolute appearance when Chloe stopped by to bring her home after she'd been discharged, and completely impossible when she stepped inside the Kent house to be greeted by an almost catatonic Mrs Kent.

"The underground fighting ring? The big bad guy that knocked you out was a Kryptonian prisoner from the Phantom Zone named Titan. We ended up throwing down and he died. I had quite a few bruises from that one for a while because my powers had no effect on him. You had to spend a night in hospital because you had a concussion."

Clark did not want to mention the death of Lois' old friend Wes Keenan. Even though it was an accident, this was not the time to bring that one up. He remembered how devastated she was at the time, and how it renewed her resolve to go after Lex. He knew first hand how dangerous it was to seek revenge.

"The night Lionel Luthor died, I found you and Jimmy in the freezer room back to the Planet. At the time, I didn't know you'd been shot but I used my heat vision to thaw you out so you didn't suffer from hypothermia. I got out of there before I was seen."

Lois had long since picked that moment as the turning point. She couldn't afford to be so headstrong when chasing the truth because it wasn't worth almost getting herself nearly killed over. Again. Jimmy had taken care of her at the time and like Clark, he'd never sought thanks. He simply wanted to be a really good friend and work colleague.

"Once I started working in Metropolis and making saves as the Blur, you knew the Blur had stepped in to help you a few times. By giving me the application form for the job at the Planet, you actually helped me make a decision I'd needed to make much earlier. I had to get away from Smallville and the farm if I was ever to fulfil my destiny."

Lois looked out at the rolling fields and felt that for all her initial grumbling about having to stay in rural Kansas, finish high school and work in a coffee shop, she now wouldn't change any of it. She'd never have envisaged her life turning out the way it had. Life experiences shape one's personality and outlook, and as weird as Lois' life experiences had been, she felt they'd shaped her into becoming a more rounded individual, and one capable of succeeding in a job she'd grown to love, alongside the man she'd grown to love. That had to be worth something.

Lois decided to turn the radio on as they sat in silence for the remainder of the journey. They were only minutes away from the Talon now. As she skipped channels, she tuned into and left it on a local station that played songs from the past decade or so. The song about to start was Remy Zero's 'Save Me'. It somehow felt appropriate.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

The car pulled to a stop in the alley behind the Talon. The rain had finally subsided but the winds had picked up again so while it wasn't a particularly late hour, it wasn't the sort of weather one would choose to be out in. Clark put the car in park and turned off the engine.

"Well, I don't know about you but I need a caffeine fix. Coming?" asked Lois as she stepped out of the car, shutting the door and making her way inside the building.

Clark watched her as she left. He hadn't failed to notice how she'd taken the many revelations in her stride, but she also didn't give any clue as to what all of this meant going forward. Did it change the way she felt about him in any way? Had he scared her away but she was putting on a front to hide it? Clark had come to the conclusion weeks ago that Lois was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but that meant there could be no secrets between them. He wanted her to understand him and his reasoning for the decisions he'd made, and he hoped she might help share the burden of his secret. Telling her he was the Blur was a landmark moment but the real catharsis for him was being able to talk so openly and freely, and not have to hide who he really was from her.

He got out of the car and grabbed their bags before locking up and heading inside. Walking up the steps, the doubts he'd had ebbed away with each step. Of course Lois would be in it for the long haul. In another timeline, she'd already told him how his secret and responsibilities didn't change how she felt about him. Back then, there was a mutual attraction but they were not an item. Now they were very much together and he'd never given her the impression she'd be left behind. She loved him and would support him no matter what. Together they could face whatever lay ahead.

That was the key - together. As Clark approached the door to the apartment, he realised that he was ready to take the next step in their relationship. Fear of intimacy was one reason why his previous relationship with Lana had flatlined. He just didn't know if he might physically hurt someone while in the throes of passion, and his own experiences had either been when he didn't have his powers, or when both he and Lana did. With Lois though, he now felt he had no hang-ups. Whenever and wherever it might happen, he was ready.

Lois was now the most important person in his life. Somehow, the tomboyish, bossy, sarcastic and brash girl who'd bulldozed her way into his life, who'd steal all the hot water in the shower, who'd take over his bedroom, who couldn't cook to save her life, who talked too much, who listened even less, who had a knack for getting into trouble, who almost never called him by his actual name, who didn't allow him to ponder the (significant) problems in his life, who ate too much ice cream and drank too much coffee, and who had a penchant for 80s stadium rock, was the beautiful woman whom he wanted to be his wife. It was no longer a case of _if_ he would ask her, but _when_. But first, he still needed to know if her feelings had changed. He opened the door to the apartment.

The television was on and the story on the news channels was all about the VRA rally in Metropolis. The rally had gone on largely peacefully but there were still minor skirmishes between demonstrators, protesters and riot police. Some of the protesters were interviewed by the reporter and they gave accounts of why the likes of the Blur were a good thing for the city and indeed the country. They provided a beacon of hope where politicians had consistently failed. One even opined that if remaining in the shadows meant that the vigilantes could do more good, then it was worth it. No way should they be deemed to be terrorists. Changing to another channel gave a different story as people were sought out to give testimonials on why the Vigilante Registration Act was necessary. Such were the ways of media outlets these days. It was more about shaping the news rather than reporting it. Agendas overruled all.

Lois had started the coffee machine and was impatiently waiting to pour herself a cup. Clark put the bags down on the counter, taking out their notes.

"You know, with all our conversations on the ride home, I almost forgot there was a rally today," said Lois as she grabbed a mug.

"Do you still regret not being there?"

"Part of me would have liked to have been there covering it for the paper, but I think I got wind of the bigger picture by not being there. As important as it is, you are more important Clark. Don't forget that."

Clark was warmed by that. It still didn't clear up when exactly they stood moving forward. He didn't get a chance to ask before Lois piped up again.

"Hey, Thanksgiving is in a couple of days and I still don't know what I'm doing. Chloe's still away, the General is busy and Lucy is still AWOL. Is your mom coming back home for the holidays?"

"Uh, no. When I spoke to her yesterday, she said she'd be tied up in Washington until late. She's been invited to Thanksgiving dinner by one of her friends in Washington so she is going to stay over. I kinda wish she did come home because I'd bought all the stuff. I don't feel like doing a whole turkey if it's just two of us," Clark replied.

Lois raised an eyebrow. "Two of us?"

"Yeah. I assumed you'd be coming over too."

"Sure. I tell you what, why don't _I_ make the Thanksgiving turkey this year?" suggested Lois. She looked like she was up for the challenge but Clark's grimace stopped her in her tracks. Noticing his reluctance, she added, "Come on! Maybe you don't know this but I have been watching a lot of cooking shows because I wanna be able to have at least one recipe down that isn't a disaster. I promise, no cremated meat or greasy potatoes, and if it happens to go south, _you_ can just zip out to grab some take out!" She prodded him in the arm on the 'you' and she had a glint in her eye as if imploring him to agree.

Clark gently shook his head and chuckled which Lois took to mean he'd agreed, and she beamed happily. She had the sort of smile that never failed to put a smile on his own face. It was almost child-like in its glee and lit her whole face up.

Just then, her phone beeped an incoming email. It was from Tess.

"Looks like we'd better get started on the cherry carnival piece. Tess wants the story handed in by tonight to run it in the weekend edition."

"Right," sighed Clark. Lois was now focussed on the article so he still didn't know exactly how she felt.

They'd sat going over their notes before Lois got her laptop out and began pacing around the apartment dictating a narrative while Clark typed. He was the faster typist with or without powers, and he was much better with the spelling and grammar. Lois' strengths lay in making even mundane stories sound even remotely interesting. It wasn't all that long before they'd finished it. Lois emailed the finished article to Tess and closed her laptop. She went back to discussing Clark's secret, though not in the way Clark had expected.

"It's pretty clear that Chloe knew about you and was protecting your secret for so long now. She kept trying to talk me out of writing about that barn door that almost took my head off, but that's the story that got me hooked on journalism."

Lois grabbed a small handful of cherries from the punnet they'd bought, removing the pit before popping each cherry in her mouth one at a time. It was more polite than spitting each pit out after eating the cherry.

"Yeah. Chloe was trying to help me understand the new power I'd developed. Super-breath. I had a cold and sneezed that barn door right off its hinges. I'd never sneezed before so I wasn't expecting it," he answered.

"I was miles away from the house, Clark. That's one hell of a sneeze to launch a barn door half way across Kansas."

"Fortunately, I don't have to sneeze to create the same effect. I can blow," said Clark. His leg was twitching a little in his impatience to try and direct the conversation to where he needed it to go.

"Be that as it may, there is one thing I still don't get. How did I manage to wake up unharmed after I'd been stabbed at the dam? When I woke up, Chloe was there unconscious but I didn't even have so much as a scratch on me. I've always felt she wasn't telling me everything."

Clark thought about her words before choosing his own carefully. "Sometimes, people keep secrets for a reason. Chloe had her reasons. I think you should talk to Chloe about it if you really want to know. She protected my secret for me, and now I'm protecting hers."

Lois smirked. She knew he was right but she couldn't resist teasing Clark some more. Continuing to eat the cherries, she said in a husky voice, "Smallville, you might be playing possum but you still have a terrible poker face. You can bet your ass that I have ways to make you talk. Believe…that."

She popped the last pitted cherry into her mouth. Clark noticed she'd not removed the stem from it. She slowly tidied their notes away as she continued to chew slowly on the cherry. He thought that any second now, she'd realise the stem was still there but no, she carried on. He could discern the merest hint of a smirk. Eventually, she removed the cherry stem from her mouth and placed it beside her coffee mug, clearly visible to him. Scooping up the papers, she put them to one side and leaned back on the couch.

Clark was about to dismiss the moment as trivial but his eye fell on the cherry stem. His jaw almost hit the floor and the blood must have drained from his face and headed south. The stem had a perfect knot in it. He'd seen Sherilyn Fenn's character Audrey do the exact same thing in _Twin Peaks_ and it was one of the sexiest things he could remember ever seeing on TV. The moment took him back to his thoughts outside the apartment door, and taking things to the next level with Lois. He was now absolutely certain he would make it happen very soon. _Tongue dexterity like that!_

Lois clearing her throat brought him sharply out of his reverie. She nodded towards the fireplace where one of the scented candles had been lit. Clark had had another eye-jaculation episode without realising it.

"Wow Smallville, guess you don't need to rub two sticks together to start a fire when you don't have a match."

Clark grinned back in embarrassment. Lois' sex appeal was off the charts and he knew he'd never be able to resist. Not that this was a bad thing. He changed the subject.

"So, what do you feel like doing tonight? I was hoping you might come back to the farm."

"I was thinking ice cream and a movie. Plus, I have to return the car tomorrow and pick mine up from the shop. I can swing by tomorrow though once all that is out of the way and stay over for Thanksgiving."

She thought that would appease him as she'd caught the little glimmer of disappointment in his eyes when she said she wanted to stay at the apartment tonight. His expression remained neutral as he finally asked what had been on his mind ever since they'd got back from the festival.

"Lois, I gotta ask. After everything you've learned today, does it change the way you feel about me?"

Lois narrowed her eyes. "Are you asking if I see you as different? Or if I have doubts?" she asked.

Clark sighed before admitting. "Both. I don't wanna lose you Lois. We've both been through a lot and I'd hate for things to go back to how they were."

In answer, Lois stood up from the couch and stepped over to where Clark was sitting. She slowly sat down on his lap and straddled his legs, laced her hands around the back of his head and pulled him in for the sort of passionate kiss he'd given her in the alley when she found out he was the Blur. It didn't need any words. Clark reciprocated as he now knew that she loved him even more than he'd thought.

Once she released him, he was wearing a contented smile. She then spoke quietly.

"Clark, you might not be human but you are the most caring person I've ever known. You look for the good in everybody no matter what. We humans would be much better off if we were more like you."

Clark looked away and shook his head gently, prompting Lois to frown and ask, "What? Too cheesy?"

"No Lois, it's just that you reminded me of when I first told Chloe about who I was. She said the same thing."

"Oh," she squeaked.

"Lois, it isn't just that. I can be me around you - the real me. You won't settle for anything less and you will call me on it any time I start moping and over-analysing everything. When I'm with you, I am the best version of myself. I wouldn't change that for anything."

He pulled Lois in for another kiss to which she readily reciprocated.

The long drive home had served to open both their eyes to what had gone before and what might come in the future. Clark had found the inner peace that had been absent all his life, and Lois had found the beautiful side of the human spirit in the person she loved the most, despite his not even being human. The ride would be one to remember and cherish in the years ahead.

* * *

 **FIN.**


End file.
